"The Birds"
Universal Pictures, 1963
Directed by Alfred Hitchcock
There is no argument that Hitchcock was one of the greatest film directors ever known. He helmed more than 50 films in his career, including such classics as "Psycho" and "Dial M for Murder."
"The Birds" is one of his best works. It could be the film's concept, or maybe it's the strikingly realistic cinematography. Whatever it is about "The Birds," audiences will be changed forever by the time the credits roll.
The plot chills some while making others laugh. Melanie Daniels (Tippi Hedren) is a wealthy San Francisco playgirl with a penchant for birds. She is infatuated - though she will not admit it - with lawyer Mitch Brenner (Rod Taylor) and pursues him to his quiet northern California hometown. Suddenly, with neither provocation nor warning, birds of all kinds begin assaulting the people of the town with increasing numbers and viciousness. With no fathomable reason behind these bizarre attacks, all Melanie and Mitch can do is try to survive the swarms of birds.
This entire cast deserves credit for making a seamless transition from a lighthearted romance plotline to a bizarre horror story. As in most of his movies, Hitchcock picked superb performers. This is one of Hedren's finest performances. She eloquently portrays Melanie's graceful but spoiled nature and audiences can see she is attracted to Mitch, no matter how much she tries to hide it. Taylor is perfect as Melanie's love interest. His suave and sometimes obnoxious mannerisms are just a mask for the genuinely kind and caring man beneath them. Hedren and Taylor complement each other like two sides of a coin.
Jessica Tandy gets ample time to shine in her brilliantly conceived role as Lydia Brenner, Mitch's elderly mother. Lydia is fiercely protective of Mitch, and fears losing him to any girl he might court. She is bitter and cold toward Melanie, but during her rare moments of vulnerability, she exhibits sadness and kindness that makes it difficult to not feel sorry for her.
If any of the birds' names were known, they would need to be given credit, too. Indeed, Hitchcock used live birds for this movie, notably avoiding special effects. During a particular scene in which Hedren is attacked in an attic, prop men actually threw live birds at her for a week. Mechanical birds were used as well, but the difference between the live birds and mechanical birds is indistinguishable. The result will amaze many viewers today when they realize "The Birds" was made in 1963.
The cinematography is flawless. Hitchcock focuses not on how gory or violent he can make the bird attacks seem, but strives to make the attacks disturb viewers on a cerebral level. There are no actual bird sounds in the movie; instead, high-pitched screeches were created in a sound studio. The result is actually more appealing and noticeably more chilling than any actual bird noises.
Hitchcock slaved over "The Birds" and it shows. The acting, cinematography, attack scenes and, of course, the birds themselves are terrific on every level. Perhaps the most brilliant aspect of the movie is that once the credits roll, audiences will never again look at a flock of birds perched on a telephone wire in quite the same way.
